Cinderella and the Ball
by Elise Marie
Summary: There's trouble in store for Felicity when a mission goes wrong for Oliver, leaving him with a decision about her that could change everything. Can Oliver handle the pressure? Can he handle the guilt? More importantly, will she get to the Ball? Olicity Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Cinderella and the Ball

**Spoilers: **None, set in season 2. I've seen 2.12, refusing to watch episode 13 until this is done.

**Warnings: **Character harm. I haven't killed anyone in the Arrow Universe. Yet.

**Rating: **T for language and violent scenes.

**Category:** Action, team-fic with heavy hints of Olicity that are open to interpretation.

**Summary: **There's trouble in store for Felicity when a mission goes wrong for Oliver, leaving him with a decision about her that could change everything. Can Oliver handle the pressure? Can he handle the guilt? More importantly, will she get to the Ball?

**Disclaimer: All characters and the universe they exist in belong to the CW, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and DC Comics. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.**

**Author's Notes: **As I said, I'm up to 2.12 so was left with "These are the only two that matter." And the inclusion of Roy into _Team Arrow_. I take it from spoilers that Sara joins the team, too. I'm not sure how true that is so I'm working with this story being set after episode 12, before 13 and Sara may or may not be on the team, but she is back in Starling. As my third Arrow fic, this one is completely different to the other two! Enjoy!

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

There was an eerie silence in the room, until some muffled sounds began to break through the haze. It was dark, aside from a small slither of sunlight peeping through the curtains which illuminated the blonde hair surrounded by blankets and pillows. A female figure stood above her, arms crossed and anger oozing from her entire stance. She coughed again and the sound permeated the blonde's thick, curly and unruly hair, the blankets and her own mind that was trying to block everything out.

"Wake up!" The anger oozing woman snapped, kicking the bundled up mass on the makeshift bed. "Now!"

The blonde opened an eye, squinting through the pain of the light. No, it was not just the pain of the light; her entire body ached. She felt as if she had gone ten rounds with Oliver. Perhaps she had. Forcing herself to sit up, the pain and discomfort were clear to anyone as she winced and tried to open both eyes. The room was spinning, but only for her. The female who had kicked her was standing still however; she had no idea how that was possible as a wave of nausea from the movement hit her hard in the stomach. Perhaps that was the after effect of the woman's kick. Why had she seen fit to kick her? Just because she was having trouble waking up? Nothing made any sense.

Peering through her unruly, bed-head hair, the blonde took in her surroundings because she already knew that she was not in her own bed. Her bed was comfy and a double with far too many pillows and the softest covers and blankets. She could spend all day in her bed sometimes. This was not her bed and as she took in her surroundings, the blonde soon realised that it was because she was lying on straw with some sheets, barely off of the actual floor.

"What the…?" the blonde tried to say, but her throat was too dry for any noise to come out. It was drier than a desert, but she could see no glass around her. In fact there was no furniture at all. Why would there be if there was not even a real bed.

"Get up!" The female that was looming over her, shielded in shadow declared. Desperately, the blonde tried to remember what had happened. She had no idea where she was and no clue as to how she had arrived there. In fact, she could not remember anything. There was no final memory of an event within her mind. How had she developed such amnesia, she wondered to herself, running her hands over her head and searching for wounds. There were no wounds, no extra pain than that which her entire body had already felt.

Squinting upwards again at the shadowed face of her kicker, the blonde tried to figure out who she was. Perhaps then it would explain to her why she had kicked her. Had she been on a mission with Oliver? Again, her memory failed her. What had she done that day? When had she awoken in her own bed? What had she worn? Glancing down at herself, at her clothing, the brown burlap material was itching her and was certainly not what she had dressed in that morning. Had she?

"Who are you?" Her dry throat screamed at her with the words that managed to escape. She needed some water. "Water?"

"You can have water when you're done."

"Done?"

The angry woman moved swiftly and slapped her hand across the blonde's jaw, the sound echoed loudly through her mind. The tears that sprang into her eyes were not from the physical pain, but the audible pain. Had she gone to work and sparred with Oliver? Had something happened to her on the way home? The angry woman, grabbed the blonde by the chin and forced her to meet her eyes. The blonde instantly recognised her, but took a few moments to process the image. "Mrs Queen?"

The anger morphed with confusion as Moira roughly released the blonde's face. "Stop wittering on and get up. Do you not understand the situation?"

The blonde was scared now and so forced herself to her feet, fighting through the pain. From the surface, it appeared as if she were in a wooden walled room. Perhaps a cabin somewhere. But she had been in Starling City, not the woods. There was a window, covered by curtains other than a small slither which allowed the daylight in and a door that was closed. Were they locked in? Had she been with Moira at some point during the day and had they been kidnapped?

"Mrs Queen, we need to get out of here." The blonde ran towards the door, but she was stopped by a pinching clench on her elbow. "Ow!"

"What is wrong with you? I swear, I do everything in your best interest and you just simply knock back everything that I say and do."

"I'm really confused, Mrs Queen."

"Mrs Queen? Who is Mrs Queen?"

"Oh my God, do you have amnesia, too?" The blonde took hold of her shoulders and spoke really slowly. "Mrs Queen, we will be okay. Do you know who I am?"

"Unhand me!" She wrenched herself free with such force that the blonde almost fell back to the floor, which her body would prefer rather than being stood upright. It was taking all of her energy to simply remain upright; the fog within her mind was not clearing. "Of course I know who you are. Now get yourself dressed and get on with your chores."

"Chores?"

"If I could fire you, so help me, I would!"

"Honestly, Mrs Queen, we need to figure out what's going on here."

"I'll tell you what's going on here: you will get dressed and start on your chores. I need this house to be spick and span before our guests come over." She moved towards the door that the blonde was presumed was locked. "Get to it, Cinderella."

The blonde stood there staring as the door slammed open and closed, leaving her alone in the wooden shack of a room. She may not remember how she got where she was or what on earth had happened to her, but she was sure of one thing. "My name's not Cinderella," she whispered to the lonely room. "It's Felicity.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly and incredibly cautiously, Felicity peered out of the wooden door. There was a set of stairs immediately in front of her and nothing else; she was in the attic. After Moira had stormed out Felicity had searched around the room as quickly as she could as her body still ached. She had found a cotton dress and pinafore that she had dressed herself with. "How very Cinderella?" She had whispered to herself after finding no other clues in the bedroom. As she started down the stairs, Felicity checked her wrist for a hairband and snapped it off, pulling her messy hair back and up, fixing it out of her way. With absolutely no intention of actually doing her chores, Felicity figured she should pretend and look the part.

It had already crossed her mind that this was an Arrow undercover case gone horribly wrong, but there was no Oliver in her ear and it did not explain Moira believing she was Cinderella. Nothing explained why Oliver's mother believed she was Cinderella, or why she was her step-mother in the scenario. At the bottom of the stairs, after passing down two floors that were probably all bedrooms, Felicity looked all around. There was a kitchen to the left, a door down a small corridor in both directions. She needed to find a door to the outside world, maybe then she would get some answers. Or maybe if she could find a telephone she could call Oliver and Diggle, they would come to her rescue and figure everything out.

"You're a sight for sore eyes."

Felicity turned sharply at the voice and saw Laurel, the dirty-blonde haired Lance sister standing in a now open doorway. "Laurel?"

Laurel rolled her eyes in despair and crossed her arms over her dark blue, strappy dress. "One of your little daydreams again, Cinders?" She said the name with such derision that Felicity wondered how someone could hate another person that much. Then she remembered Isabel Rochev. "No wonder you're not invited to the ball. Try growing up one day instead of dancing around here in your own little world."

"Ball? What ball?"

"The Queen's ball for the Prince, you silly little girl. Not that you should bother yourself with it, obviously. Have you finished making my dress yet?"

"Making... I can't sew."

"Well, not very well, no, but your father left my mother with no money so we have to make do with you. In so many ways," she sighed. "You are pretty pathetically rubbish at everything."

The words still hurt Felicity event though she knew deep inside of her that she was not Cinderella and Laurel was not... "You're the ugly step-sister."

Laurel stepped closer, slapped Felicity hard around the same cheek that Moira had slapped and sneered at her. "Watch who you're calling ugly, you jumped up little gold digger!"

Before she could say anything else or Felicity could react from the stinging words and harsh slap, there was a loud banging and a shrill feminine voice. "Cinderella, answer the door!"

It was yet another demand and as Laurel opened her mouth, no doubt to nag Felicity further, Felicity held up a hand. "I got it." Badly wanting to mutter something bitchy at her step-sister, Felicity really did not want another slap so she held her tongue. Along the corridor and through a door there was a large entrance room, with the house's main door along the opposite wall. The banging was still continuing.

"All right, all right, I'm coming!" Opening the door, Felicity could not believe the relief that she felt as she saw him. Whatever was going on in this crazy mixed up world, he had come to rescue her. "Diggle, thank goodness! I don't know what the hell's going on, but I think I fell down a rabbit hole!"

"A rabbit hole?"

She laughed in spite of everything else. Diggle would always come for her. "I feel like Alice."

"Okay," He looked confused, which, in turn confused Felicity. She shook it off, causing her head to spin.

"Come on," She reached her hand out to his arm. "Let's get me out of his place."

"Alice, you need to stay here." He said as he took her hand from his arm and held her hand tenderly. Why was he calling her Alice? Was he as confused as she was? Was everyone suffering from the strangest group incidence of amnesia ever? "It'll be safest for you here. Please stay." She was confused by the begging tone in his voice and the compassionate look in his eyes. "Don't come to the ball."

"The ball?" She was still Cinderella. She was still confused. Then her world went black.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Blinking her eyes rapidly, Felicity managed to wake up quicker than the last time and her eyes focussed far quicker on the ceiling above her. Her body still ached, but her head was less fuzzy than it had been. Perhaps her random nap had helped clear her head out.

"Thank goodness, you're awake." Recognising the voice and hearing some sympathy in the voice, Felicity sat up and came face to face with Thea Queen of all people.

"I was having the strangest dream," Felicity began as Thea moved away and stood up. "Honestly, Thea, you wouldn't believe it."

"Thea? Whatever, I don't have time for your oddness." Thea shook her head dismissively as if Felicity were just something she had stood in. There was not much difference really. "How could you though, really? I mean, you've always been an embarrassment, but in front of the Grand Duke? I'm so glad that Mother said you have to finish your chores first. You'll never finish them before the Ball."

"The Grand Duke?"

"Yes, he was delivering the invitations. There was one for you, but Mother said no. And you have nothing to wear. Not that you have any taste in clothing. If you had anything other than rags." Apparently there was not that much difference between Thea and an ugly step-sister, Felicity thought, other than the ugly part.

"Well, I better get on then." Felicity left the room, promising to get on with her chores. She did not want another slap, especially from Thea of all people. Walking quietly into the kitchen, Felicity sat down at the table and began to ponder what on earth was going on. After a few minutes, she stood and got a glass of water as if suddenly remembering that her throat was on fire from a lack of fluid. Everything had been forgotten whilst she tried to figure out what the Hell was going on. She still had no memory. She still had no idea what she had been doing before waking up on a bed of straw and the worst thing was, she had no idea how the Hell she had become Cinderella. It was not even the Disney Princess with which she associated most. She was not Cinderella and she did not see Laurel and Thea as ugly stepsisters. Okay, Moira could be seen as evil mother, but not a step-mother and certainly not a step-mother to Felicity. If this was some sort of hallucination or dream, it was so far off the mark Felicity would laugh if she were not so confused. Maybe they had all drunk something to cause a mass amnesia. Not that amnesia would explain why everyone else was convinced of the Cinderella thing. Except Diggle who possibly thought he was in Alice in Wonderland.

Picking up the glass to take another sip, Felicity was puzzled as the glass was empty and her throat still dry. Standing up to re-fill it, it was then that Felicity realized that the room was dark. It was dark outside of the window, everywhere around her. How had it become night so quickly?

"I really don't like this weirdo world," she complained to nobody.

"Perhaps I can help." Felicity jumped in shock at the sudden voice, turning she saw Sara Lance standing a few steps away wearing her super-blonde wig.

"Sara?"

"Anything you want, my dear, and it shall be yours."

"Anything… Great, not you, too? Are you supposed to be my Fairy Godmother?"

"You want to go to the Ball?"

"No, no not really. I want to go home."

Sara was not listening. "The Ball it is." She swished her hand around and nothing happened. "But be warned," she paused with the swishing. "When the clock strikes midnight, I cannot help you. I won't be able to rescue you."

Felicity's world went black again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here you are, ma'am." The male voice drifted through her hazy mind, waking Felicity from yet another sleep. Or maybe they really were blackouts, because Felicity had no memory of things changing in between. Her breathing was difficult and as she gained her bearings, Felicity realized that it was probably because of the corset dress she was wearing.

"What the…?" She started to question what was going on and then just sighed and sat back for a moment. "Just go with it, Smoak." Of course, she was Cinderella and she was ready for the Ball. Sitting forward, she peered out of the open carriage door and saw a gloved hand waiting to take her, also gloved, hand. Felicity took a quick moment to glance down and then cringed. "Freaking Disney!" She was not just in some sort of odd Cinderella story, no, Felicity realized, she was in the Disney Cinderella remake. Her white-blue dress was identical to that of Cinderella. The hand took hold of hers and almost pulled her, somehow graciously, out of the horse-drawn carriage. "Roy?"

"I got you here safely. But once you're in there, you're on your own."

"Thank you?" she asked hesitantly.

He rushed forward and crushed her in his arms, forcing what little air the corset allowed from her lungs as he hugged her. It felt as if his life was depending on it, unfortunately her life was dependent on the air he was squeezing from her. "Roy!" she managed to squeak out and he released her.

Feeling him move away from her, she missed his warmth, but her eyes were closed as she continued to struggle for breath. Suddenly she came over all hot, with one hand Felicity began to fan her face, with the other she almost clawed at her dress trying to get space for her lungs. She turned around, seeking help as she heard the clip clop of horses' feet moving her carriage with Roy away from her. And suddenly she could breathe again.

"Where am I?" she whispered, no longer outside. She was surrounded by men in sharp suits and women in ball gowns and there was music playing. The people were all dancing, and then there was a hand in hers, leading into the crowd of dancers slightly further.

"You are about to dance with the Prince."

"Oliver?" He looked at her quizzically. "Sorry, Prince, thank you." All she could do was play along as one hand wrapped around her waist, the other took her hand and he began to lead them in a dance. Of course he would be the Prince, she thought. Oliver was the one who was always saving her, so of course in, whatever this was, he would be the hero. Diggle was his right hand man just as the Grand Duke was the Prince's. It still did not explain everyone else, but Felicity felt herself relax the tiniest bit at those two constants. Being in Oliver's, or the Prince's arms, probably helped with the relaxing.

"You are the most beautiful lady here tonight." She blushed. "Have I met you before?"

"Maybe. In another life."

They looked at each other and she found herself captivated by the magic in his eyes.

"This ball has been thrown for me to find my Queen. I think I have."

He started to move closer to her, his body pressing up completely against her that she swore she could feel the heat of him through the many layers of her dress. She tried to take a deep breath and control herself, but the corset was too tight. Then his lips were on hers, innocently for a moment until he pulled her even closer and they merged into one. This could not be the real Oliver, Felicity decided. If there was something at work with all of them, drugs for example, Oliver's body would have been the strongest to resist. Perhaps he was just playing along as she was. No, Felicity realized sadly, he would not kiss her this passionately as part of a ruse.

The hand holding hers dropped it unceremoniously and found its way to the back of her neck, bringing and holding her closer than she could have imagined. As a sigh managed to escape her lips, she felt him smile and then she was aware that they were in silence.

It was her that broke the kiss and pulled back. "I can't do this." _I don't know what's going on._ "I'm sorry." _Really I am, so sorry._ "I have to go." She turned and then paused as she heard a bell chime. "What time is it?" she whispered with her back still to him.

"Midnight."

She started to move again. Felicity may not have had any idea of what was going on, but she knew the story. She may not remember anything before the bed of straw, but she remembered Cinderella's story, she remembered the Fairy Godmother's warning.

_Chime_. The second one.

"Wait!" Oliver the Prince called to her.

_Chime_. The third.

"Don't leave like this!"

_Chime_. The fourth.

She stumbled and fell, hitting her knee hard on the cold concrete.

_Chime_. The fifth.

"You're hurt."

_Chime_. The sixth.

She got back to her feet, refusing to look behind her.

_Chime_. The seventh.

She could see the red starting to soak through the dress.

_Chime_. The eighth.

"You're bleeding!"

_Chime_. The ninth.

"Don't leave me!"

_Chime_. The tenth.

"Don't give up now, Felicity."

She turned at her name on his lips. Not _Cinderella_, not _Cinders_, but _Felicity_. "Oliver?" she whispered.

_Chime_. The eleventh.

The corset tightened and she struggled for air. Felicity looked down and saw her dress was red now. Her eyes closed as _chime_. The final.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, Felicity!" he growled. "Don't give up on me now. Do not die! I don't give you permission." Pushing down harder, it was all that he could do to staunch the bleeding. He counted to ten, his fingers on her pulse point in her neck. It was there, but so very feint that his eyes closed in cold, frozen fear of what on earth he was supposed to do next. It should have been simpler than this. It had not been a simple mission, but it should not have been like this. She should not have got shot and they should not…

Shaking his head, he slapped her gently and yet firmly on the face. "Wake up!" She mumbled something incoherent. "Stop dreaming, Felicity and wake up!" he ordered. Whether conscious or unconscious, Felicity chose when to follow orders. She was choosing to not follow them today. "You should have stayed in the lair." His voice was a whisper as he shook his head in regret. He never should have allowed them to bring her, but he had needed her.

He always needed something from her.

Right now that need was for her to stop bleeding, keep breathing and wake up. She was the only one who could get them out, but he had stopped caring about getting himself out the moment she had fallen, her blood seeping out everywhere.

Her breathing slowed again. He slapped her again and her eyes flickered open briefly. "Oliver?" she whispered with a smile before randomly adding, "_Chime_."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Screeching the car to a stop, Roy and Felicity got out quickly; Roy left the keys in the ignition for their escape. He hurried her over to where Sara was hiding, near to the entrance to the mansion of a mobster, drug dealer, pimp that Felicity had linked to the Mirakuru, Jorje Cellino. There were answers within his home that Oliver needed, but Oliver had encountered a small problem and Felicity was called to the site.

Felicity turned to the wigged woman. "He's in there?"

Sara nodded. "One of needs to stay out here and keep watch."

"Both of you," Oliver commanded through their ear pieces. "Felicity will be safer in here with both of you out there."

"You know where he is?" Sara asked.

"I gave him the building plans," Felicity reminded her.

Sara checked the watch on her wrist. "You've only got another ten minutes before that place locks down. I won't be able to come in and rescue you." The look on the youngest Lance was one of failure of something that had yet to even happen.

"We'll keep you guys safe from out here," Roy promised. "But once you're in there, you're on your own." He looked as if it were the worst scenario in the world, to be on a mission without him. In the few short months, Roy had come to care for Felicity far more than any other member of _Team Arrow_.

"She won't be on her own," Oliver's voice said in their ears again."

Felicity nodded at her two friends and walked calmly in through the front door.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

"Oliver?" the voice said through his ear piece and he dipped his head for a moment, his eyes closed for the smallest second of respite. It was Sara.

"Yeah."

"We've managed to break through the comms silence, but only until the frequencies change again."

"How long?"

"About ten minutes. Maybe twelve." Diggle was still in the lair and it was his computer skills that had managed to get them talking again. For now.

"What happened?" Oliver and Roy asked at the same time. Oliver's was a demand, Roy's a plea.

"They came out of nowhere," Sara explained. "Half a dozen. We held them off as best as we could."

"One of them got into the mansion before the exits froze." It was the failsafe security measure that the pimp, drug dealer owner had set up. Anyone could get in, with the right expertise, but no one could get out once the alarms sounded.

"I noticed," Oliver grumbled.

"Felicity?" Diggle asked.

"She got shot." There was a long silence as the three of them not trapped inside questioned silently if that meant she was already dead. "I don't think I can stop the bleeding."

"Where are you?" Diggle asked, looking at the plans on the screen in front of him. Not that it would matter too much.

"Still in the office. There's nothing I can use." _She's going to die._


	5. Chapter 5

Felicity walked calmly in through the front door and made her way straight to the office. The building was set up to lock down all exits as soon as the perimeter of the building was broken, but she had managed to hack into the system from the lair, giving Oliver thirty minutes to get in, get what he needed and get out before the building would lock down. It was supposed to be clever and smart. The drug-dealer-pimp would then arrive with a time lag on the system so it would show the building had locked down immediately. He would then have been completely stumped as to how the perimeter was broken, the building was locked down, his files had gone and yet there was no sign of a break out. A break out was impossible. Unless you were Felicity Smoak and then she might have a chance of breaking out.

Oliver was locked in the office of the mansion, where the files he needed were kept, which was it's own little safe room with an extra security measure of lock down. She had warned him before the mission. She had warned him during the mission.

"You touched something, didn't you?" Felicity spoke into her comms as she started removing panels from the office door. She imagined Oliver pacing in frustration just on the other side of the door and it amused her far too much.

"It's sort of difficult to find the right files without touching things." He did not sound happy and Felicity chuckled to herself. "What's so funny?"

"I'm rescuing you."

"Just get on with it, Felicity," he warned.

"Yes, boss. What do you think I'm doing here? Telling you off and laughing?" She had removed the panel from a circuit board next to the door and then started looking at all of the wires and connections.

"Guys, we have company!" Sara warned.

"That's impossible," Felicity paused in her work and turned to look behind her. "They can't know we're here. Not yet."

"Well they do," Sara countered from outside. She was already out of breath.

"Hurry up, Felicity!" Oliver ordered and she knew that tone. The worry and fear had already set in within Oliver in the room. First of all he was trapped and helpless, alone; Felicity knew that he would be hating that. He was not claustrophobic, but after five years on an island of space and being such a man of action, being trapped was not something Oliver liked. Secondly, she knew that he was already aware that she was right outside of the door and helpless.

Connecting her pad to the circuitry, she ran a program for a code breaker and quickly heard a click as the door began to open. He was already standing ready, eyes roaming behind her before the door could even open. "Need a rescue?" she smiled brightly despite the imminent danger.

"Felicity! Get down!" he commanded.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

"Felicity, I'm here. Come on, stay awake." He had no idea why she had come to and said _chime _to him. All that mattered was that she had come to. Her eyes fluttered open and he could not help but smile. Weakly, she smiled back and he stroked her cheek, trying to hold her head still with one hand as the other continued to press down hard. There was blood left behind on her pale cheek, marring her perfect skin.

"What…?"

"You got shot."

"Water?" she requested.

"I don't have any. And I can't let you go." Her eyes met his and he could see a question in them. Opening his mouth to speak again, Oliver paused and instead gave a good fish impression. At that moment he had no idea if he meant emotionally and metaphorically as well as physically. She would bleed out if he stopped applying pressure. What would happen to her if he were ready to metaphorically release her? As if that thought reminded him of his new goal in life, he pushed down harder on her abdomen. The material he had ripped from her sleeve to staunch the bleeding was already soaked through and his hand was covered in blood.

Her blood.

She did not wince or react whatsoever as he pressed down more. "Does that hurt, Felicity?"

Shaking her head, tears brimming in her eyes as she must have realized that there was something wrong. A voice came through loud and clear in both of their ears. It was Roy.

"Is she going to be okay? I should never have brought her."

"Shut up, Roy!" Oliver commanded.

"I shouldn't have let her go in there alone," he continued.

"Shut up!" Sara and Diggle yelled at the same time. Oliver's wet hand released Felicity's cheek, her head fully resting back on the carpeted floor and he pulled the ear comms from his own ear. He then did the same to her. Her eyes were already filled with panic from hearing the panic within Roy's voice. She could probably see it in Oliver's eyes, too, no matter how hard he was working at trying to hide everything from her. Oliver was suddenly aware of the silence. He could hear his own breathing, loud and faster than normal. Deep to try and keep him calm. In his ears, Oliver could hear his own heart beating faster than it should be when there had been no physical exertion.

His blood stained fingers, still wet, moved to Felicity's neck to check her pulse again. Her eyes had closed, a solitary tear had already fallen and merged with the blood on her cheek. It was still there, weak, thready and slow, but it was still there. He cupped her cheek again. "Felicity," he commanded softly. "You need to wake up again."

"I don't want to," she mumbled as if she were merely sleeping. He wished that she was simply sleeping and he was trying to rouse her from a good dream, not from death's tightening grip. "I don't want to go to the Ball!"

It was just a whisper, but Oliver heard it and was further confused by her ramblings. They had been invited to the Queen's annual Autumnal Ball that morning, perhaps her blood lose was so severe that it was causing memory confusion. He needed to get her out of there.

"Felicity, I need you to wake up." His voice had a sterner tone to it, but there was still a softness. There was still compassion and sympathy. "I can't get us out of here. You can. Wake up, please."

Her eyes shot open and he smiled down at her again. "Who am I?"

"Felicity?"

She huffed out a breath which seemed to hurt, but then relief filled her face. "Thank goodness."

Her eyelids started to flutter shut again. "Felicity, how do we get out?"

"Panel. Door. My tablet."

Eyes scanning the area, Oliver saw her tablet in arm's reach and grabbed it. He looked up at the door and saw the panel, it was at shoulder height. There was no way that he could reach it without moving her, and even then, he would have to either let go of her or force her to stand. She was still bleeding too much to release the pressure on her wound. The fact that she could not feel the pressure was never going to be a good sign. If he tried to pick her up or help her to stand, the low blood levels within her would cause her to pass out immediately, which he would not risk. "Can Diggle do it from the other side?"

He knew the answer already. If Diggle could, Diggle would have been there to rescue Oliver in the first place. Slowly and painfully, Felicity shook her head from side to side once. "Only me."

"Only you," he repeated and bowed his head. She was going to die.


	6. Chapter 6

"Need a rescue?" she smiled brightly as the door finished opening.

"Felicity, get down!" he commanded, grabbing her by an arm and yanking her into the room as he almost simultaneously drew his bow. An arrow fired through the air as a gunshot rang out. The hired help fell where he stood and Oliver turned, still standing just inside of the office. "Felicity?"

"Ow." She sounded and looked confused as he watched in slow motion as her right hand dropped the tablet, some wires still protruding from it. Her left hand moved to her stomach and she started to bend over slightly, stumbling a step away from him.

"Felicity?" He smelt it at the same time that he saw it, the blood that was already seeping over her clothing. Her right hand seemed to reach out as if trying to grab hold of something to steady her and he moved forward to try and catch her or take her hand. He was a fraction of a second too slow as her hand brushed against a shelf on a bookcase and then her knees buckled. Falling forward, he caught her as she fell and managed to gracefully turn her and lay her down on the floor. Her eyes were fluttering and there seemed to be blood everywhere.

"Ollie?" Sara said through their comms. He was too busy to even notice her voice. His first thought was to stop the bleeding, or at least limit it. Easily he ripped the sleeve off of her shirt and packed it over the wound before he moved his arms to underneath her neck and knees. He had to get her to medical help. As he began to lift her, Oliver turned and glanced at the door, motion catching his eyes. It was the door closing.

"No!" he yelled at an inanimate object. "Sara," he spoke into his comms. "Sara, we're locked in. Felicity's been shot." His hands returned to trying to stop her bleeding and there was only silence. "Sara?" he repeated. "Diggle? Roy?" He kept trying before he realized that with the system reset, the comms were blocked again. He shook his head and swore out loud, wishing for a reaction from the unconscious IT girl under his hands. She was the one who had broken through the communication black out, and she was the only one who could get him out of the panic room. Now, she was trapped in there with him and she was bleeding. _She was dying._

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

There was only one thing that he could do. He was going to have to let go of her wound. Placing the tablet onto her chest and using his one free hand to remove his belt, Oliver then shook off his jacket, always keeping a hand applying pressure. He packed his jacket in over her wound and then slipped the belt underneath her back. She winced as she moved him and he took that as a positive sign. "Sorry."

"Yeah."

Tightening the belt over the top of his jacket, Oliver hoped it was tight enough to keep the coverings over her wound, but not too restrictive although he was not sure if there was any further damage that could be done at that moment. She was still in and out of consciousness, but there was nothing he could do without risking her even further. He had epinephrine in his kit, it might keep her conscious long enough to get the door open, but it would speed up her heart, cause more blood to seep out of her wound. He found his discarded earwig and put it back into his ear, filtering out any noise from it.

Gently picking her up, she cried out in pain and he hated himself. "You need to do this, Felicity." It was two steps to the door and she cried in pain the whole way. At the door, he lowered her slightly and raised his knee to support her lower body and keep her in a cradled position. As he stood there on one leg keeping perfect balance, Oliver used his now free hand to remove the panel by the side of the door. It fell to the floor with a clang and he ignored it. "Felicity, how do I connect the tablet to the panel? What do I need to do to the circuits first?" Glancing at her, her eyes were closed again. "Felicity! Don't make me use the epinephrine!"

Diggle's voice broke through the mental barrier Oliver had created to sound. "Oliver, if you give her that epinephrine, she will bleed out." Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. His fingers twitched and his breathing started to speed up, coming in short sharp bursts. She was going to die, he was sure of it, and she could either die through his inaction as he simply waited for her to bleed out and the pimp-drug-dealer to arrive or she could die because he gave her an injection.

"I'm sorry, Felicity."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

"Shut up!" Sara and Diggle yelled at the same time at Roy. She looked at him furiously and the youngest member of _Team Arrow_ glared back at her.

"This is my fault," he mumbled quieter.

"And you think she needs to hear that right now?" Sara questioned him with a hiss. "Oliver, what's happening?" There was no response. "Oliver?" Turning and beginning to pace, her hands on her hips, Sara spoke again, "DIggle, have we been cut off or blocked again?"

"Not that I can tell," he answered a few moments later. "I'd say he's gone radio silent."

"Brilliant." She stood still for a moment. "Roy, stay out and keep guard. I'm going to see if there is any possible way in."

"If there is, Felicity would have found it," he countered.

"Not everything is put on building schematics." She walked away, leaving Roy to sulk alone.

"Roy, this isn't your fault," Diggle said from the lair. "She knew the dangers."

"She expected us to keep the bad guys out."

"Even if she knew there were bad guys in there, she would have still gone in there for him. For any of us," Diggle added as an afterthought. All three of them continued their actions – Sara looking for anything that could be of help, as long as she was not useless, Roy watching everything around him, refusing to allow anyone to ambush them again, and Diggle trying to do anything possible at the computers – until a voice suddenly broke through the silence.

"You need to do this, Felicity." Then some muffled screams. Diggle shook his head and cursed at the sound. Roy punched, smashing through, the nearest object and Sara held her breath for a moment until they stopped. "Felicity, how do I connect the tablet to the panel? What do I need to do to the circuits first?" There was a pause, enough time for a collective heartbeat. "Felicity!" He sounded so desperate. "Don't make me use the epinephrine!"

"Oliver, if you give her that epinephrine, she will bleed out," Diggle declared pointlessly as they all knew that Oliver was well aware.

Another pause. Another heartbeat and then Oliver's voice: "I'm sorry, Felicity." He sounded broken.

"No!" Roy cried.

Diggle slammed his fist down on the desk.

Sara paused in her steps, her breath catching as she knew Oliver was making yet another impossible decision that he would have to live with forever. She was not sure how much more guilt that man could take.

"Roy," Oliver's voice croaked a few moments later. "Start the car."


	7. Chapter 7

He could not do it. It was an impossible decision. Even if she were about to die from the gunshot wound, he could not speed it up. Oliver could not do that, not to her. Instead, he grabbed her chin again and gently shook her head. Despite being cradled and her head being slightly higher than her heart and wound, she regained consciousness with confusion. He nodded at her and she weakly raised her arm, pointing at wires and circuits, silently telling him what he needed to do. He did as she asked without talking, following her pointing fingers as sometimes they brushed together.

"Plug it in," she whispered. "And start the program." He did so, there was only the one large icon in the middle of her tablet screen. As it worked its magic for the few seconds that it needed, Oliver repositioned his arms to take her full weight and lowered his leg, the other was cramping. She made no sound and he looked at her as the door opened. She was unconscious. He could not hear her breathing.

"Roy, start the car."

It was not far through the mansion, not far to where Roy and Sara were waiting with the car as Oliver bundled into the back with Felicity still unconscious.

"Where to?" Roy said, already driving away.

Any of the others and he would say the lair underneath _Verdant_. For any of the others, their muddled medical knowledge would have to do, but not for her, not when it was this severe. "Hospital." He turned to Sara who was in the front passenger seat. "Go with them?"

"On it," she replied, removing her wig and sorting out her clothing that she could appear as a normal girl and not a female vigilante. A few moments later they were a block away from the hospital and Oliver told Roy to pull over. Felicity was still breathing, only just, and the bleeding had slowed although he doubted that it was from clotting and more a lack of blood at this point. He extricated himself from underneath her and internally winced as her head lolled around on the back seat unsupported.

"Use my name," he commanded, slamming the door closed and he watched them drive away. Into his earwig, he spoke to Diggle. "Any chance you can come get me?" Within seconds a car pulled up right in front of him and despite the circumstances, Oliver smiled at his friend. He went to the trunk of the car first, retrieving some spare clothing and then he got into the back of the car. When they made it the one block to the hospital, Oliver stepped out of the car wearing a dark blue pullover and plain jeans. There was not a trace of blood on him. After parking the car, he and Diggle went straight to the reception desk. "My friend was brought in here minutes ago."

"What's her name?" the receptionist asked.

"Felicity Smoak."

"She's in the Emergency room still," she answered. "But if you…" Oliver was already on the move. Outside of a large operating room, Oliver saw Roy sitting on a chair, his head resting on his hands. Oliver understood that guilty pose all too well. Sara, meanwhile was burning off nervous energy by pacing.

"Hey," Diggle greeted and Sara stopped.

"Got here quick."

"What have the doctors said?" Diggle asked.

"Not much. A lot of blood loss, but I don't think there's actually much damage." Sara paused and then stepped closer to them both. "Is there any trace of her at the mansion? They asked what happened. I said I found her like that, but they've called the police."

"The scene is covered in her blood," Oliver responded. "But nothing to prove it was her. I left an arrow in a man and I got the files, but there's nothing linking her to there."

"Except Officer Lance knows she helps _The Vigilante_ out from time to time." Diggle said glumly.

"For God's sake!" Roy yelled, standing up and nearby medical staff and visitors turned to look at them. He lowered his voice to a hiss. "Don't you think what's important is Felicity not our cover story. Or the damn files!" He glared at Oliver for the last part.

"We need to get our stories straight, Roy," Sara said. "Otherwise she's gone through all of this for nothing."

"Bullshit. And don't you dare try and say that she knew what she was getting herself into."

"Roy," Oliver tried to say calmly.

"No!" He stopped him. "You gave her the damn epinephrine, didn't you? Because this mission all means so damn much to you. Would you have done the same if it were Thea?"

Oliver stepped into Roy's personal space and stared the younger guy directly in the eye. "The mission matters, yes. But so do people, so does Felicity. And, no," he said quieter. "No, I didn't give her the drugs. I wasn't going to help her die."

All four of them waited for someone to correct Oliver, to say out loud that she was not going to die. No one believed it, so no one said it.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Opening her eyes, Felicity blinked a few times to clear the sleep from them and simply looked upwards. It was not often that she had been in hospital, but she could recognize the sterile, fluorescent lighting above her. Rolling slightly to sit up, she felt no pain or discomfort, but she was confused as to where she was and how she had got to a hospital. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she saw standard hospital, slip on slippers on the floor and she slowly placed her feet into them. She stood up, her eyes still on her feet and felt dizzy.

"Shouldn't have stood up so quick," she said out loud to herself as she closed her eyes until things stopped spinning. Opening her eyes again, the room was different and she realized that she was different. Looking downwards, Felicity saw that she was dressed in something eerily familiar. "Not again."

"Not again, what, Cinderella?" Felicity turned, the blue-white ball gown moving with her, swishing around. It was Oliver, the Prince, standing in front of her on the veranda of the ballroom. She could see all of the people dancing and hear the music from inside. She tried to take a step and she stumbled slightly. She was wearing heels.

"Freaking glass slippers," she cursed out loud.

"Cinderella, your slippers are wonderful."

"Oliver, stop being so… argh!"

He took hold of her gloved hand and captured her in his arms. "Let us go and dance."

"I don't want to dance, Oliver."

"If you must insist on calling me 'Oliver' then you must dance with me. Come." Releasing her from his hold, he led her by the hand into the ballroom and began to dance with her, very quickly spinning her out and back to him before dipping her. She came over dizzy from the motion and caught her breath as his head loomed over her, blocking the light.

"Oliver, I don't want to dance anymore." She felt sick.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oliver, I don't want to dance anymore." Her voice was barely a mumble, but he heard her from the chair in which he had been resting. Moving towards her, he stood over her so that as her eyes opened the first thing that she saw was him.

"We're not dancing," he smiled down at her, relieved that she had awoken after five days unconscious from the blood loss and the shock.

"What?" She started to try and sit up. "Where am I? What happened?" The wires attached to her pulled and strained as she moved, a numb aching sensation felt as if it were ripping at her stomach as Oliver's firm hands on her shoulders forced her to stay still and remain lying down.

"Don't move, you're still badly hurt." She gave in and semi-relaxed back on the bed. He moved away slightly and she turned her head to the side, watching as he sat down in the chair that was pulled right up to her side.

"So bad I needed a bedside vigil, huh?" The smile on her face was weak. "Please don't tell me you've been sleeping in that thing?"

He was leaning forward, his arms resting next to her on the bed, propping his head up so he could remain close to her. "Of course not."

"You and Diggle been taking it in turns?" Oliver shrugged. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Turning, Felicity stared up at the ceiling, at the bright light as she tried to focus her memory. His hand taking hold of hers brought her eyes back to his. "Felicity?"

"I remember the weirdest dream. I was Cinderella. And Diggle was the Grand Duke, Sara my Fairy Godmother and Roy my driver to the Ball."

"Was I the Prince?" The blush on her cheeks was a stark contrast to her still incredibly pale skin and he wished that he could make it all better for her. "You mumbled some stuff."

"How embarrassing."

"Who was the evil stepmother and the ugly sisters, anyone I know?"

"Your Mom!" Felicity laughed, he chuckled and then she winced in pain.

"You okay?" Somehow he managed to move even further forward in his seat.

Nodding, she changed the subject away from her pain. "Thea and Laurel were the ugly step-sisters. Never tell them that," she hastily added. "Neither of them are ugly, far from it. I mean, if anything I'm jealous of their beauty. Don't tell them that either. Although I'm not even a blip on their radar so why would they care. Or even know my name." She stopped abruptly and forced a smile at him. He already had a slight smile from her babble; he had missed the babble. "The mission?"

"Everyone's fine. Officer Lance will need to take your statement later. Diggle will fill you in with the details, but you were mugged, they got your purse and bag."

"Oh, no, I really liked that bag."

"I'll get you another one."

There was a silence for a long moment and they both spoke at the same time. "I thought I'd lost you," he said as she spoke: "Did you get the files?"

Brushing what he said out of the way, Oliver responded to her question. "Yeah, but we've side-lined the whole thing waiting for you."

Nodding incredibly glumly to herself, her eyes on their still joined hands, Oliver recognised the guilt in her eyes. "I must have been really bad for you to bring me here."

"We really should look at keeping some blood supplies at the lair." She hoped it was a joke as she raised an eyebrow at him. Something in his eyes said he thought it was actually a good idea. "You were too badly injured."

"I don't… I remember opening the door to rescue you and then… the Cinderella stuff."

"As the door opened," he began to explain. "Security came from out of nowhere, one got past Roy and Sara. They shot you as I got them with an arrow. You stumbled back and hit something, the door closed on us again." Tears welled up in her eyes at being told of her own mistake. "I had to wait for you to regain consciousness to get out." They sat in silence for the longest moment, her eyes still filled with tears and him holding desperately onto her hand. Finally he whispered, "I thought I was going to lose you."

He saw her jaw clench and her watery eyes return to staring up at the ceiling. "Could I, uh, could I be on my own for a bit, please?"

"Are you okay?"

"Please," she repeated, turning completely away from him. Before he stood and released her hand, he gently pressed his lips against her knuckles and then quietly let it go.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Outside of her private hospital room, Oliver leant backwards and closed his eyes. It had been his decision to bring her to the mission. He felt nothing but guilt over it. It was the least that he could do to organise all of her medical care. He would have done it even if she had been mugged and he had nothing to do with it. Oliver was pretty sure that nothing would alleviate his guilt; he would simply add it on to his growing list.

"What's happened?" Oliver opened his eyes at Sara's voice and he sighed, shaking his head. "Is Felicity okay?"

"She's awake."

"And you're not in there with her? Have you left her alone?"

"She wanted to be," he answered. "She didn't want me in there. I don't think she could bear to see me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's my fault she's in there."

"Ollie, you did nothing wrong here. If anyone's to blame it's Roy and I for letting that guy get into the mansion. You kept her alive. You got her out of that room. And it's you who got her the medical treatment that she needed."

He knew that all of that was true. Well aware of the fact that if it had been Sara or himself, he probably would have refused the hospital. Even with Diggle and Roy, Oliver would not have made sure someone stayed with them at all times. Felicity was the different one of the team, the odd one out, perhaps. Any of the rest could be replaced or could be done without for a mission, but not Felicity. It was true that they had put the mission on the back burner whilst she was unconscious, but it was not just out of worry for her, or the fact that Oliver had barely left her side. He no longer trusted his team on a mission without her as backup. When he had returned from the island, Oliver had truly believed he would clean up his city alone and now he could not even function in those duties without Felicity and Diggle. They were both his voice of reason; Felicity more so than Diggle. She had no fear of him whatsoever, but then he would never shoot her like he had Diggle.

"It's my fault she even needed medical treatment."

"No." Sara shook her head. "The only thing that you can ever be blamed for, is bringing her into this in the first place. But she chose to stay, right? She learnt who you were, what you were doing, what you were about, and she stayed. So, no, you can't even be blamed for that. She got shot, Ollie. There was nothing you could have done to stop it."

"I should have been quicker."

"Okay, well head back to an island of misery simply to train your reactions to be super-human. Or take some Mirakuru. That'll solve everything." He rolled his eyes at her. "Do I sound ridiculous? So do you. Now, if Felicity is awake and wants to be alone, go home and rest. I'll watch her."

With incredible reluctance, Oliver nodded and moved away from the door. "I'll be back in two hours." He never slept for long anymore. "Make it four and take a shower and grab some food. Check in with your Mom and Thea."

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled. As he walked away the heavy weight of guilt was still pressing down on his shoulders.


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone who went to visit her found Felicity sleeping until the second day after she had awoken to Oliver's presence. On that second day, Oliver had visited and found her still asleep and he became suspicious so he paused and listened carefully. A number of the machines had been removed from her. The IV drip had gone as she was no longer nil by mouth and the heart and lung monitors were no longer attached. That did not stop Oliver silently listening to her breathing. Shaking his head with a sigh, Oliver left her room and saw Diggle sitting on a chair opposite the door.

"Still asleep?" he asked.

Oliver shook his head. "I think she's pretending." Diggle raised an eyebrow in question. "Her breathing and heart rate sped up when I was standing there. They weren't calm and steady."

"She's faking it?"

"That'd be how much she doesn't want to speak to me, yes."

"Oliver, I'm sure this isn't about you."

"You go and try then."

Diggle entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him and waited a moment, but there was no reaction. He sighed and opened the door again, closing it on a puzzled Oliver's face as Diggle remained in the room. Within seconds Felicity rolled over and sat herself up slightly, gasping when she realised that Diggle was still standing there. With slow, large steps, he approached her and said, "Sleeping beauty wakes up."

"I'm not Sleeping Beauty. I dreamed I was Cinderella actually."

"Whichever, why are you hiding?"

"I got myself shot. I put Oliver, Sara, all of you in danger. You could have all been found out. And I can see it on his face."

"See what?"

"The disappointment in me. I'm becoming a freaking liability to this team. I should be benched."

"Felicity," he comforted, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her hand. "I don't think that's disappointment you can see." She looked at him questioningly. "I'm pretty sure it's guilt."

"Brilliant. I'm the cause of yet more guilt for him. He broke his promise to Tommy for me, he killed again for me. He didn't kill for Laurel, he rescued her without killing anyone. But not me. No, I'm pathetic enough that he killed for me and then almost watched me die. All he feels for me is guilt."

"Or maybe a hell of a lot more. Maybe he feels too much for you that he couldn't see you in danger from the Count and killed, but he didn't feel as strongly for Laurel. Maybe he feels all of that guilt because he cares for you, not because it's all he feels for you."

"I doubt it."

"Did he tell you the choices he had to make?"

She knew that he had chosen having her treated in hospital rather than in the lair, but she was not aware of any others. She shook her head.

"When you were both locked in the room, he needed you conscious to unlock the door, but you'd lost so much blood you couldn't remain conscious. He had the choice to either watch you die helplessly, or he could have given you a shot of epinephrine, woken you and got out, but it would have caused you to bleed out faster. You wouldn't have made it to the hospital. He had the choice, Felicity, to watch you die or help you die. He might have killed for you, but he wouldn't help kill you."

"Way to make me feel even guiltier," she sobbed with a slight smile. "Is he still out there?"

Diggle nodded. "He's barely left."

"Can you send him in please?" Kissing her forehead, Diggle nodded and left the room as she continued to sniff away her tears.

"She wants to see you," Diggle told Oliver and there was a flicker of hesitation on the billionaire's face. "She probably feels just as guilty as you do."

Hesitantly Oliver entered the room, Diggle closed the door behind him. He would have continued with his hesitancy if it were not for the fact the he saw her crying in her bed. Everything left his mind and he crossed the room with speed, enveloping her in his arms. She buried her face into his neck and shoulder, sobbing openly on him and he held her tightly, letting her do whatever she wanted. Her entire body seemed to shudder with sobs against him and Oliver had to close his own eyes to stop his emotions. Gently he bowed his head slightly and pressed his lips against the top of her shoulder, partly meeting bare skin.

Finally he spoke. "You're going to be okay."

She nodded against him and then moved her head so she could breathe easier, keeping her arms clamped around him. "You couldn't help kill me, huh?"

"Never. But don't test me on it again."

"Never," she shook her head. "It isn't your fault. None of it is."

His eyes did a long blink again and his voice went hoarser than normal. "I let you come in there. I brought you into this team. I needed you to rescue me."

"Dude," she objected through muffled tears. "There wouldn't be a team without me. Just a potential homo-erotic duo."

He laughed into her shoulder. Whenever he and Diggle clashed, it was Felicity that aided them back together. She was their glue. "Don't ever leave then." She shook her head into his neck. "Don't ever get shot again. Don't make me watch you…" She squeezed him tighter that he thought his ribs might crack, but he did not care, he simply held her in reply.


	10. Chapter 10

Five weeks after Team Arrow's failed mission to a pimp-drug-dealer's mansion, Felicity Smoak returned to her day job as Oliver Queen's EA. She had been ordered to take a further two weeks holiday from her night job as _The Vigilante's_ IT Hacker, much to her displeasure, but everyone had ganged up on her. Oliver was still holding off on any important missions, he and Roy were simply patrolling and training instead. Engrossed in some work, Felicity jumped in surprise and shock as she noticed Oliver standing directly in front of her.

"Jesus, Oliver, don't do that to me! And where did you come from, anyway?"

"Where did I…? I came from my office, you know that room right there." He pointed to the glass wall. "Is everything okay?"

"Just… engrossed. I've had five weeks of boredom really." Oliver shifted nervously around on his feet for a few moments as she went back to her work and then looked back up at him. "Back atcha."

"Huh?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Yes. I was just wondering. You're going to the Annual Queen Autumnal Ball next week, right?"

"Yes, as an employee of Queen Consolidated, I have been invited. Don't go planning a mission on that night, Oliver."

"No, no, not what I was thinking. I don't have a date for it."

"Okay," she nodded, smiled and began thumbing through an address book. "Let me see who I can find." Normally she would protest at being his Public Relations Pimp, but she really had been bored at home.

"No." His hand covered hers as he leaned forward slightly over the desk. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

"Like a work date? Sure, okay. Shall we meet there or go straight from here?"

"How about I pick you up at yours?"

She paused and then stuttered. "Okay." He smiled and walked back into his office. "Is it a _date_ date?" She asked into the empty room.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

A week later and on the night of the Annual Queen Autumnal Ball, Felicity was huffing her way up the stairs in her apartment block. With her stomach wound still playing on her whole body health, Felicity had never before hated not having a working elevator before. She had never been so glad to only be on the fifth floor however. Pausing as she reached her floor, Felicity had to catch her breath and for a moment she wondered if it was the lack of oxygen that was causing her to see things. There was a large box sitting in front of her door and she had not ordered anything. Approaching it carefully, Felicity took the label from it and smiled: _For Cinderella and the Ball, Prince Oliver._ She was never going to live down the fact that he had been the Prince in her death dream. She was sure there was nothing to it, because Laurel and Thea made no sense in their roles either.

Felicity took the box into her small apartment and started opening it immediately, pulling out a long, a-line white-blue dress. It was the same colour as the Disney Cinderella ball dress, but far less ball-gownish, which was perfect for her. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the designer label and she immediately got her cell phone out and typed: _Thank you for the dress, Oliver, but my building's not safe enough to leave designer goods in the hall!_

Removing the dress fully from the box and holding it up to admire it, Felicity carefully lowered it when her cell beeped.

_Then it isn't safe for you to live in! See you soon, O x._

Ignoring the kiss at the end, Felicity laughed at his over-protectiveness and then stepped towards her bedroom to start getting ready.

"Felicity Smoak?" An imposing male voice said from her open front door. She spun around and saw a very large man standing inside of her apartment.

"Y-yes?"

"You need to come with me. My boss wants a word. You can make it easy." He grinned at her. "Or hard. I prefer a bit of a fight."

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Effortlessly taking two steps a time up to Felicity's floor, Oliver considered his surroundings and decided that perhaps this apartment block really was not safe enough for Felicity to live in. He had walked straight in off of the street. There was no off-road, safe parking and the neighbourhood really was not the best. Would she be really offended if he rented her an apartment somewhere safer? It really would get everyone gossiping at work, Oliver considered, but that was going to happen after they went to the ball together and he really did not care what other people thought.

As soon as his foot hit the top step he knew that there was something wrong before he saw it. There was something amiss to his senses. With slow, precise steps he approached her apartment and realised that the door was open. Without knocking or even considering her privacy, Oliver walked straight into Felicity's apartment quietly to assess the situation. The dress he had bought her was lying crumpled on the floor, her cell phone lying next to it with the screen smashed. It was silent.

"Felicity?" he called, making his way around the few rooms. There were no signs of struggle and no signs of Felicity. Where was she?


	11. Chapter 11

"Can't I get a comfier chair?" she asked and the fist that slammed down on the desk in front of her made her flinch. So far she had been unharmed. She was not even restrained in the hard, wooden chair, but there was no where she could run to. Her wound prevented any form of escape, and the large man that had brought her here was guarding the only door. He had not even blindfolded her as he had told her to get in the back of a big black limousine so she knew where they were. It was a large office block, mostly abandoned next to the docks. One side of the building was flush against the water front, but it was mainly abandoned all around. There would be no point in screaming for help.

"When you answer my questions truthfully." His voice was trying to exude calmness, but Felicity could hear anger behind it. "Do you know who I am?"

"Mister, I can't even see you." His face was masked in shadow and then he leant forward. Her jaw tensed for a moment and then she forced it to relax. "Nope. Sorry, should I?" It was Jorge Cellino, the pimp-drug-dealer whose office she had nearly bled to death in.

"So you have never been in my home?"

"I'm not that kinda girl."

He nodded at the large guy, presumably the body guard who moved closer to Felicity and relatively softly hit her in the stomach. She winced with the pain. "Gunshot wound?"

"I got mugged," she coughed out. "Corner of Fifth and Elm. You can check the police and medical records. I lost a really nice bag." Although the replacement Oliver had bought her was far nicer. She just needed some shoes to match.

"You were the only gunshot wound recorded in all of Starling that night."

"And?"

"Someone got shot in my home, after breaking in, and I want to find them."

"Like I said, mugging."

"The crime report says that there was no blood found at the scene, or not enough anyway."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't too conscious, really. Sorry, I can't help you more."

"My employee got shot with an arrow. Do you know about _The Vigilante_?"

"I've seen the TV reports, who hasn't?"

"And you weren't in my home with him, you didn't get shot and bleed out all over my office." She shook her head again. "So the person who was, didn't go to hospital?"

"Maybe they died."

"Maybe you're going to die." She gulped in fear. "If I don't get the truth and what was taken from me."

"I told you I have nothing to do with it."

"We'll see." And he picked up his cell phone to make a call.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Oliver continued pacing up and down in front of the computers that Diggle was trying to work with when his cell rang. They could not get hold of Sara, Roy was already at the Ball with Thea and Oliver did not want to worry the younger man yet especially not as it would cause too many questions from Thea. He and Diggle had gone straight from Felicity's apartment block to their lair underneath _Verdant_ and Diggle immediately started monitoring and searching CCTV recordings, hoping to find a trace of Felicity.

The caller ID said Lance. "Officer Lance," Oliver said in his _Vigilante_ voice.

"Hood, we've had a phone call for you."

"Ms Smoak?"

"You know she's been taken?"

"I have been informed, yes."

"No one reported it," Lance pointed out.

"Is this the time, Officer?"

"The caller said he had her, and he wanted _The Vigilante_. He wants answers about an intruder in his home a month and a half ago. The night Felicity got mugged."

"Where is she?"

"Did she get mugged?"

"Where did they say she is?"

"You arrogant, sonofabitch. You took her on a mission and got her shot, didn't you."

"Officer Lance, there will be time later for this. Where is she?"

"A warehouse by the docks. He said you need to come alone and that he wants his property back." A beat passed. "If she gets hurt, it's on you." Oliver hung up the call and read a text message sent by Lance.

"Diggle, she's here." He showed his friend his phone. "They said I need to go alone, but I figure they meant no police."

"Good, because I'm not sitting this one out."


	12. Chapter 12

When they reached the building, Diggle remained in the car whilst Oliver, suited up as The Hood, approached the building. There was someone waiting at the front door. Oliver raised his bow immediately.

"Kill me and she dies, Vigilante."

He lowered his aim, but kept the bow out. His reaction time had not been fast enough before and he would not let it be a problem again.

"You got the files?" Oliver nodded and the man held his hand out.

"Not until I see the girl."

"Show me a file first." Oliver passed one file over, the man read it over and then nodded, handing it back. "Seventh floor, west side of the building. There'll be someone there waiting for the files." Nodding, Oliver continued into the building. The west side overlooked the water, leaving escape to be a problem if he was walking into a trap.

"Diggle," Oliver said into his earwig. "Are you in?" Covertly, Diggle should have found a second entrance and be making his way through the building. If it was Cellino that wanted answers then he would need to leave the building somehow. Hopefully Diggle would prevent that.

"Yep, finding a secondary route to the seventh floor."

The entire seventh floor was open plan, and devoid of furniture with just some odd bits of debris scattered around. Except for on the west side in the far corner there was a small office with one boarded up window. It had probably been the floor manager's office back in the day. Quietly, but feeling incredibly exposed Oliver made his way across the abandoned floor and listened at the door. He could hear breathing on the other side of it, rapid and shallow; Felicity was afraid. Turning the handle, Oliver pushed the door open with his bow and saw Felicity sitting in the middle of the room, gagged and tied to a chair. There was a couch to her left and a desk to her right, but there was no one else in there.

She was shaking her head and mumbling something through the gag at him so he moved to her and knelt down in front of her. Dropping the bow to remove her gag.

"It's a trap!" She nodded her head behind him and he turned immediately seeing the explosives lining the wall and the timer which had twelve seconds left on it.

"Dig, get out!" he commanded, pulling her to her feet with the chair still tied to her. He dragged her to the boarded up external window, one hand around her arm as she could barely stand and his other hand holding his bow.

"Oliver, we're on the seventh floor!"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, but seven!"

"Then trust me."

And he jumped, pulling her with him.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

As they flew through the air, his hands kept a tight grip on her and his bow. He looked down and watched as the water approached. The impact was going to hurt. As she fell downwards, she kept her eyes tightly shut and wanted to flail her limbs around, but they were still tied to the chair. Moments before the impact, the building exploded from the seventh floor upwards and debris began to rain down around them. As they hit the water, the chair broke from the force and he lost his grip on his bow, pulling her down with him as he sought to swim deeper. Her lungs burnt with the energy expenditure as she attempted to fight against him to swim upwards to air. Her hands were still tied together behind her back, his hand gripped tightly on her arm, making her escape to the surface impossible.

His swimming made them change direction, but the lack of oxygen was making her confused. She thought he was swimming away from the building and the explosion, away from the debris, but her brain could barely think anything. His head broke the surface of the water a fraction of a second before hers did. As he began swimming to the opposite shore, he pulled her on to him and backstroked his way to dry land. She coughed and spluttered as they moved and Oliver did register the fact that she was clearly alive. Once at the side, he dragged her up and out of the water, sitting her up to remove the ropes around her wrists. He set about untying her ankles as she rubbed at her sore wrists, coughing up some of the water she had swallowed, and stared at the collapsing building.

"He said he'd make sure he got the truth out of me."

He followed her gaze and his hood fell down from atop his head.

"He didn't believe me and he said he knew _The Vigilante_ would come, that he would destroy _The Vigilante_, the files and the woman who ruined his carpet."

"He didn't believe what?" Oliver asked, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her as she shivered without even really noticing.

"That I was mugged and not in his house. He was adamant I'd been with you in his home, stealing the files and almost dying. I was the only person admitted into hospital with a gunshot wound that night."

Oliver cursed himself for that mistake. "You lied to him?"

She met his eyes as they looked at each other, his arm around her shoulders and only a few inches separating their cold faces. "Is that surprise in your voice?"

"Pride. You lied for me."

"I lie for you every day, Oliver."

"But you lied under duress."

"I'm cold." She turned away from him and he brought her closer to him, her head resting against his shoulder.

"Diggle will be here soon." He hoped anyway. "Did they, did they hurt you?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "I was lucky." She laughed. "But I think we missed the Ball."

"We'll use pneumonia as our excuse. My Mom should forgive us that."

"As long as we can have some time off work to snuggle up in a cosy, warm bed and enjoy chicken soup until we're warm again." She tried to pull away from him and sit up straight. "By we, I mean you and I separately, of course, not together, in separate beds, in our own homes. Alone."

"I know what you mean." He chuckled and she relaxed back into him. "And I'll take you to the next Ball."

"Promises, promises."


	13. Chapter 13

After their impromptu dip in the river, Felicity took another week off from both of her jobs and Oliver just about took a day to recover. Diggle had found them within twenty minutes, huddled together for warmth and watching a building collapse in on itself bit by bit after the initial explosion. Oliver had turned at the sound of the car pulling up in the deserted area and Diggle had stepped out to greet them both, joking that he did not want them, covered in sewage water, to get into his car. He did however present Oliver with his bow; it had washed up a little bit downstream and he had noticed it as he drove. He had been too concerned when leaving the building, however, to notice what happened to Cellino or his men. Oliver had seen to them after his day off from Queen Consolidated because saving the City never allowed for a day off. After telling her to get into the back of the car, soaking wet, Oliver had then retrieved a spare change of clothes and chucked them in to her. He was willing to stay wet whilst she got into drier clothes. Once she had changed, obviously still damp, she had opened the car door to let both men know and made a comment about leaving her own change of clothes in the car. Her blush had made both men smile.

"Seriously though," she had continued once her blush faded. "How often do I get called into action at the last minute?"

It was Oliver's decision to force her on leave for another week and it was driving her mad. Thankfully, probably after all of the annoying messages she had kept sending him, he had called her in that night. She locked the door to her car and crossed the small car park into _Verdant_, noting how quiet it was because it was still early. Still, there was not even the sound of anyone setting up the place and there were no lights on. After a few steps, her heels echoing throughout the large, high ceilinged room that felt so completely different to the packed dance floor and loud booming music feel, she paused as something felt off.

"Hello?" she asked into the silence. Why were there not more lights? She wondered, or at the very least more light switches. Usually she felt safe here, but she had also felt safe at home until Cellino's man had found her. A light suddenly switched on, a spot light and she smiled hesitantly. "Oliver?"

He nodded his head at someone and she turned around, trying to see who. Some music started and she turned back to Oliver about to question him again, but he had stepped towards her. "Felicity, may I have this dance?"

Oliver did not wait for a response, taking hold of one hand in his and putting his other hand on to her waist. He pulled her closer, but kept a distance between their bodies. "Oliver, what is this?"

"This is dancing, Felicity."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know that." She playfully hit him on the chest with her free hand and then left it there across his pectoral muscle. He was wearing a white shirt and trousers, probably straight from QC, but his tie was absent and the top couple of buttons were undone. No matter what he wore, she found it distracting so a few buttons or topless, it no longer really mattered to her.

"Relax," he commanded and she did so in spite of herself, moving forward and leaning her head on his chest where her hand had been. His hand slipped around from her waist to the small of her back as they continued dancing to the music.

She pulled her head back after a few seconds of thought. "Who's playing the music?"

"Forget it."

She repositioned her head on him and closed her eyes for a few moments, inhaling his scent. She was used to being around him all of the time, literally. She could recognise his aftershave, his daytime smell, and the unique and distinctive smell of _him, _when he was training downstairs. Then there was the smell when he was _The Vigilante_, the mixture of both with added in leather. She would love to say that smelling him up close did nothing anymore to her, or seeing him up close, or in different attires, but she often felt far too much for someone who was essentially her boss all of the time except for when she was in bed.

Then it dawned on her. "Hey!" she declared, pulling her head back again. His hand on her back prevented her from physically pulling away as she tried. "This is all just so you don't have to take me to a Ball isn't it?"

"Dance with me, Felicity." She stared at him defiantly. "Dance and I'll answer."

"Fine," she huffed. His heartbeat was loud in her ear.

"No, this is not so I don't have to take you to a Ball. I am taking you to a Ball. Do you know how much I spent on that dress? I am taking you out in that. However, I figured that after everything you've been through in the past few weeks, you deserved this."

"I deserve shoes."

"What?"

"When you threw me into the river, it ruined my shoes. And I could do with a matching pair for that new purse you got me."

"Done. On one condition."

"What?"

"You find a new apartment. A safer apartment."

She paused again until he glared at her and she resumed dancing with him. "I can't afford a safer apartment."

"Then I'll pay for it."

"How the Hell would that look, Oliver?" There was an angry tone in her voice. "I'm already a highly qualified IT Expert working as your personal EA with everyone pretty much thinking I'm servicing you with added extras."

"Added extras?" He quirked an eyebrow and she slapped him on the back. "You only got found and taken from your apartment because of your night job, one from which you do not get paid."

"Quit feeling guilty about that."

"I never stop feeling guilty about you."

"I'll think about it," she promised and they both knew that by the time the Ball came around, he would be collecting her from a nicer, newer apartment with a security door and an elevator in a safer part of town. He would find a way for her.

**The End**

**A/N**: I see the ending as open to interpretation. Through the whole thing, I wanted to make it a bit more "canon" and not have anything actually happen between Felicity and Oliver, kind of in keeping with the show and episodes up until what I've seen. So it's up to the reader if that dance and the Ball that followed were dates, and not work dates as Felicity thought was implied. Or it's all just lovely Olicity friendship with potential ahead. However you see it or it can be seen, it's done! Now I can watch episode 2.13!

**A/N:** Oh, and this whole entire thing came about from something I saw on pinterest about which star sign each Disney Princess is. I'm Cancer and Cinderella apparently, and I sat there and thought _How can I make Felicity Cinderella_. It expanded from there, but did give me another idea from the first scene where I almost completely changed the direction! And I'm intrigued with amnesia now!


End file.
